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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23727106">Last-Minute Plans</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersforgraves/pseuds/flowersforgraves'>flowersforgraves</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Developing Friendships, Gen, No Romance, Road Trips</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:08:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,511</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23727106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersforgraves/pseuds/flowersforgraves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“A plus one,” Lorne says. “It’s not what it sounds like. I promise."</i>
</p><p>Cam's leave turns into an impromptu road trip to Lorne's parents' place in Arizona.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Gen Freeform Exchange2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Last-Minute Plans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Requiem/gifts">Requiem</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey! Colonel Mitchell!” Lorne calls after Cam as he jogs down the hallway. “Are you doing anything this weekend?” Lorne asks. “I need a plus one.”</p><p>“A what,” Cam says, stopping and turning on his heel.</p><p>“A plus one,” Lorne says. “It’s not what it sounds like. I promise.”</p><p>Cam lifts an eyebrow. “No? You’re sure about that? What do you think it sounds like, Major Lorne?”</p><p>“No, listen,” Lorne says, reaching out to Cam’s shoulder, then stopping abruptly just before making contact.</p><p>“I’m listening,” Cam says, crossing his arms across his chest.</p><p>Lorne sighs. “Look, I know I don’t know you that well, but that means I haven’t mentioned you as a coworker or anything to my mom. And my parents are expecting me to bring a plus-one to my brother’s wedding. It’s just outside Phoenix, so it’s not that far. And I don’t want to ask someone I’ve never met, you know? Like, that’s a big ask, and I know it’s weird, and I can definitely go ask someone else --”</p><p>Cam half-laughs, remembering his own experience taking Vala as a plus-one to his highschool reunion. “As long as you buy the drinks, I can probably use a couple days of my leave to head to Arizona with you.”</p><p>Lorne’s face splits into a grin. “Awesome! Thanks so much, honestly. It really means a lot.”</p><p>Cam shrugs. “When I brought Vala to my highschool reunion, we got attacked by the Lucian Alliance. This can’t be any worse.” He raises an eyebrow. “Unless your brother’s secretly an Alliance operative?”</p><p>“God, I hope not,” Lorne says fervently. “I was hoping to leave tonight or early tomorrow morning, whichever works better for you.”</p><p>“Late tonight works fine,” Cam says. “But -- do you have a car?” He pauses. “I mean, you said goodbyes, when you went to Atlantis, so I just thought you maybe didn’t own a car anymore.”</p><p>“I was gonna rent a car,” Lorne says. “For five days it’s not that bad, and it’s not like there’s anything else I’m spending my salary on. Do you know we get hazard pay 100% of the time?”</p><p>
“Oh, you -- wait, you get hazard pay the <em>whole time</em>?” Cam interrupts himself to stare incredulously at Lorne. “We only get it when we’re off-world.”</p><p>Lorne spreads his hands. “I hear they’re trying to reword things so we don’t get paid hazard all the time, but technically since we’re stationed offworld we’re getting hazard pay for it.”</p><p>“Damn. You cracked the system!” Cam stares off into space for a second, then reorients himself. “Anyway, what I was saying was, I can come pick you up in my car so you don’t have to rent.”</p><p>“Oh, thanks!” Lorne looks surprised, which makes Cam’s stomach sour. “I’d love that.”</p><p>The Stargate program is more of a close-knit family than anywhere else Cam’s served, and seeing Lorne be taken aback by Cam’s offer is a little upsetting. “Yeah, of course. Where are you staying?”</p><p>Lorne grins, a little ruefully. “Right here. Like you said, we said our goodbyes so I don’t have an apartment anymore, and I figured I would be leaving tonight anyway, so I decided not to get a hotel for tonight.”</p><p>Cam nods. “Well, in that case, I’m gonna run down to the locker room and grab something less obvious, and I’ll meet you out front in fifteen?”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan.” Lorne flashes him a thumbs-up and heads toward Landry’s office, hitching his backpack up on his shoulder. </p><p>Cam whistles as he walks downstairs to the locker room, mentally running through a checklist of things he’ll need to bring for a four-day trip. Toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear, all things he’s got in his locker, so it sounds like he’s not even going to have to leave base to get any of his things. Except maybe his phone charger. That one might be at home.</p><p>He rummages through his locker and comes up with enough passably clean clothes to suit him for the next half a week, and a toiletry kit he keeps for emergencies. He’s kind of lacking on the formalwear front, but there’s worse things he could be missing. Before he heads up to meet Lorne, he shoots Sam a quick text: <em>Wedding time apparently. C ya in a few days.</em></p><p>She texts back just about when he catches sight of Lorne, still dressed casually, but looking no less uncomfortable. <em>Whose wedding?</em></p><p>Cam pauses, holds up a finger to let Lorne know he’ll be done in a minute. <em>Lorne’s brother’s. He needed a plusone.</em> “Hey,” he says to Lorne. “Landry finished with you so soon?”</p><p>Lorne rolls his eyes. “He likes me, so it’s fine. I’m just glad I wasn’t in there with Colonel Sheppard.”</p><p>Cam laughs. “Yeah, whether he likes you or not is a big factor in time. C’mon, hop in the passenger’s side. Or the back. I can chauffeur you if you want.” He reaches up to tug at an invisible hat brim, trying to break the tension.</p><p>Lorne chuckles, which is probably a win. “I’ll take shotgun, thanks.”</p><p>Cam’s old Hyundai used to be white, but mud, snow, and hail -- not to mention a couple fender benders -- have taken their toll. Lorne stretches his legs out in the passenger’s seat, tipping the seat back a little while Cam starts the engine and pulls out into the sunlight. He remembers a little too late that he forgot his sunglasses, and says, “Fuck shit,” before Lorne’s presence really registers. “Sorry,” he adds belatedly, but somehow his squinting desperately in the sun sets Lorne at ease in a way that nothing else has. “I forgot I can’t see again.”</p><p>While Lorne digs out his own sunglasses, Cam checks the gas tank. He’s got enough that it’s not worth stopping right away, but he’ll definitely need to stop for a fill-up on the way. “Did I tell you where we were going?” Lorne asks.</p><p>“No, not really,” Cam says. “I figured you’d probably tell me once we were going the wrong way.” </p><p>Lorne snorts. “Yeah, I can do that. Or I can get the GPS up and running.” He gestures to the stand on Cam’s dashboard.</p><p>“That’d be good,” Cam says. “Let it work for its living. I never use the thing so I don’t really know how to make it --” He waves his hands in the air, flailing a little. “You know?”</p><p>“It’s been a long-ass time, but I’ll have a look,” Lorne says, pulling the GPS out of the stand. </p><p>By the time Lorne gets the thing set up half an hour later, Cam figures they should probably stop for dinner and gas. They’ve lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Cam’s starting to feel that road hypnosis of staring down an endless stretch of highway at dusk with no plans of stopping. “I’m starved,” he announces. “Got any food preferences?”</p><p>Lorne grunts noncommittally. “Anything but fish. I’m tired of fish.”</p><p>“Easy enough,” Cam says. “Taco Bell?”</p><p>“Perfect,” Lorne says. “I haven’t had Taco Bell in a long time. Do they still do that two-layer taco thing, where there’s a second tortilla shell with cheese wrapped around the actual taco outside?”</p><p>“Sure do!” Cam grins. “That’s one of my favorites. It’s the best shitty food there is.”</p><p>“What about Wendy’s?” Lorne objects. “You can’t argue with a shitty cheeseburger. Especially not a square one.”</p><p>“I guess if you want to be a heathen about it,” Cam says. “You can’t beat fake refried beans, is all I’m saying.” </p><p>“We’re stopping at Wendy’s on the way back,” Lorne warns, as Cam takes the next exit and makes a beeline for the gas station. </p><p>Cam laughs, saying, “Not if I’m driving we’re not!” </p><p>Lorne’s smiling, deep and genuine. “Asking for a friend, where do you keep your car keys?” He coughs slightly into his fist. “I’ll get the food, if you want to tell me your order.”</p><p>“Two bean and cheese burritos and the most calorie laden fruit drink they got,” Cam says. “If I finish first I’ll park up there.” He points at the single parking spot between the restaurant and the convenience store. </p><p>“Sounds good,” Lorne replies, and heads into the Taco Bell while Cam fills up the gas tank.</p><p>Cam leans one hip against the side of the car as he holds the nozzle. He runs his other hand over the roof of the car, thinking only a little wistfully of his plan to marathon Grey’s Anatomy and sleep in for a week. A road trip with Lorne is far from what he expected this week of leave to bring, but it’s actually kind of relaxing. He likes driving, and it’s even better with company of the sort he doesn’t feel the need to have to entertain. And he likes Lorne, and maybe he’s been known to cry at weddings no matter who’s getting married, so he’s generally satisfied with how this has turned out. </p><p>Lorne comes back with a paper bag full of Taco Bell, and Cam grins. “Ready to hit the road again?”</p>
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